God of the gaps is a fallacy

I'm disappointed that Mr. Lassiter took the time to explain in detail the definition of a straw man, but fell into the "God of the gaps" fallacy at the end of his recent letter, "On science and straw men."

Mr. Lassiter says that atheists have a tendency to avoid justifying their belief "in only science." It is important to realize that atheism does not equal acceptance of science, only the rejection of theism. He claims further that for an atheist, belief in science "has become an axiom at the root of their logic." What Mr. Lassiter does not understand about science, as much as he claims to admire it, is that science is the methodological application of human reason, and it is reason which is unavoidably axiomatic. It is self-disarming to argue that one must provide justification for reliance on reason, because reason is required to stress that very point.

As for the God of the gaps fallacy, it is true that there is a great deal science cannot explain. Mystery and uncertainty might be eternal facts of our existence. Using a god as an explanation to plug up the gaps in our knowledge is irresponsible, intellectually dishonest, and a death sentence to the very curiosity essential to the unraveling of mystery. It's akin to saying, "We cannot explain X, therefore, we can explain X." If you think that way, then you've relegated your deity to an epistemological pool ignorance about the natural world that is constantly evaporating.

Joseph Roberts

Monroe

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God of the gaps is a fallacy

I'm disappointed that Mr. Lassiter took the time to explain in detail the definition of a straw man, but fell into the 'God of the gaps' fallacy at the end of his recent letter, 'On science and straw